BOOK REVIEW: Paranormal Pandemic
Paranormal Pandemic
by Katie Mullaly and J. Patrick Ohlde
Every good book starts with a synopsis that draws you in, like a really fat worm on a hook. Paranormal Pandemic draws in the paranormal investigator with its claim of a "no-nonsense guide" and "Learn how to separate true research from the crap." While I can agree that the book is no-nonsense I balk at the claim that it is a guide and that it will teach you to do real research. It may however give you a proverbial smack upside the head. The content is raw, chaotic, and rude. It is apparently no longer in print and cannot be purchased new.
I want to really start this review with details on how I perceive books and how that translates to this book in particular. I judge a book about the paranormal by how fast I read it, the quicker I read it the more unhelpful the content, good content usually means dry writing. At no time was the writing in this book dry and it took me a day to read it, most good books take a few days to weeks. I know this may seem like the opposite of a good book to you, however when I read about the paranormal I want to find information that furthers my research, not read someone's bitch session. The little flags in my books mean that I really bit off the information and chewed on it for a while before I moved on.
So what does this mean for Katie and Patrick's book? I enjoyed it. Let me be clear, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, but it is definitely not for everyone. Katie and Patrick have sections of the book that they share their point-of-view, Katie is much more...honest. Paranormal Pandemic was written in 2012 and begins with a chapter devoted to "Why Does Any of this Matter?" Patrick in his more low key writing style states that the paranormal field IS full of people that are kind, selfless, and like-minded people. It does matter that the field needs to grow up and everyone not on the same train needs to get off. This perception drew me in immediately.
Katie's first chapter is devoted to discussing the "degeneration" of paranormal investigation. She points out that the entire field "needs to be picked up like a dirty rug, taken outside and thrown over the clothesline, and beaten until all the detritus falls off." I don't think I had laughed so hard at a book, and really commiserated. Over the next few chapters she mentions the issues of fame, research, science, frauds, demons, misinterpretation, misrepresentation, and more. Each of these involves Para-Celebs, regular run of the mill investigators, and even well-intentioned researchers that are actually posers (they just don't know it).
I think she lost me a little when she generalized many of the paranormal field as "Scientists or Entertainers." This is reductive and probably hurt the legitimacy of her point of view for those of us that cannot fit in either box based on her stance. She puts herself and her "group" into the entertainer category because they don't do "science". At least she has an honest perception of herself and her methods. The chapters blend into "What are ghosts, Anyway?" and "Investigation Methods" which are very quick and not detailed. It takes me back to when she stated "This will be the fourth book Patrick and I have written, and we constantly have to validate our relevancy compared to the gasping-in-the-dark-with-a-flickering-flashlight crowd." Sometimes we have to get out of our own way and upgrade our journey in order to remove that stigma and I don't think at this point she had. A hard lesson she apparently needs to learn is that you can be a researcher with knowledge and want to share it with the world. This is not entertainment, it is the next logical step in any researchers journey. You don't need to do stodgy old peer reviewed papers that no one will see.
Throughout the sections she discusses misinterpretation and misrepresentation of data or "evidence" that is collected. (I will mention at this point that Katie had more chapters than Patrick.) She states what we all know "Nobody likes to be told that they are wrong." Her discussions about these points are spot on and delivered just as raw and hilarious as everything else. She mentions paranormal equipment, photography, orbs, methodology, "black box equipment", and more. The chapter where she discusses Demonologists and religion as something that should be separated from paranormal research or "parapsychology" is also spot on. She goes on to mention how relevancy seems to have morphed into investigating the same tired and famous locations that everyone has done. That investigating these locations trying to impress those who have "already been there and done that" is futile. It's old news, find new locations. Her no-nonsense approach to topics that I have ruminating in my mind all the time made me realize I am not alone.
Patrick takes up the torch talking about the pitfalls of social media. It has rapidly disintegrated the presence of the more professional and resourceful website, for a high school like drama. Opportunism and ego has morphed what could be a great resource into dramatic interests that blot out good paranormal research. Katie takes up the discussion and in her first paragraph she says "social networking has become the water cooler for the paranormal workplace." I think I guffawed so loud at that I was worried I would wake up my whole block. She is spot on.
I could wax on, wax off about the topics in the book but those were the most interesting. I do think that some of her standpoints are erroneous and reductive simply because she is too hard on herself and she hasn't achieved what she wants to be. The paranormal journey is rough and when you have intelligence it can be really difficult to deal with the immature and ignorant ways that others reach "stardom," especially if they are stealing others research and calling it their own. I commiserate with her because when you do the work and you are honest about where you stand within your research, it can be a horse sized pill to swallow when some dumbass jumps on social media with no knowledge gets a ton of followers and people look up to their opinions when they have absolutely no field experience and haven't cracked a book since kindergarten.
So the full review? I personally feel like it has made me more humble. The book has made me review my own methods and perception of what I do with paranormal research. Am I a scientist? No. Am I an entertainer? By her words, yes. It has made me realize how much I have grown through the years and how I need to continue to grow. Katie and Patrick's book is pretty crass, but I do think that they were frustrated. I feel that and I see them. It is one of those things you read that if you don't agree with any of it, you are who they are talking about. I do recommend this book for people who are on the journey of paranormal research it may make you reflect on big and small things you need to work on. Good luck finding a copy.
Co-Founder/ Case Manager
Antietam Paranormal Society
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